1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to the field of bonding glass, and in particular, to a new method for building stained glass structures.
2. Prior Art
The classical method for building decorative, stained glass structures has involved the use of lead came, an H-shaped lead molding. This molding is inserted between every joint in a stained glass structure, being soldered together wherever possible in order to create a continuous lead perimeter for each piece of stained glass in the structure. Putty or other suitable caulking would then have to be pressed into the came, between it and each piece of glass in order to weatherproof the structure. Such structures require substantial reinforcement, in addition to that provided by the soldered lead perimeters, and accordingly, such a method is expensive and time consuming. Further, even when reinforced, such structures are subject to sagging, requiring frequent resoldering or recaulking. It is also very difficult to make repairs, that is, to replace a single piece of glass without dismantling large portions of the structure.
A recent improvement in the construction of stained glass structures involves edging each piece of glass with a thin strip of metal, usually copper. Each piece of glass is surrounded with a thin metal strip which is soldered into a continuous perimeter member. After each piece of glass is so treated, the pieces of glass may then be soldered to one another by application of the solder to the metal strips. While this method is simpler than that involving the lead came, it still requires caulking for weatherproofing, and still requires that each piece of glass be sealed within a continuous metal perimeter. Even if one wants it only to join two pieces of glass along one mutual edge, it would still be necessary to provide each piece of glass with a continuous metal strip perimeter.
Both of the foregoing methods share several significant disadvantages. One disadvantage is that both methods are relatively expensive and quite time-consuming. A second disadvantage is that structures produced by each method require caulking or other sealing means to be applied in order to weatherproof the structures. This is particularly significant for the use of stained glass windows.
A third disadvantage is the lack of rigidity or self-support of the structures themselves. The maximum size of an unreinforced stained glass window produced by either of these methods is approximately 30".times.30". Anything beyond this size requires reinforcing members.
This invention overcomes all of these disadvantages, by teaching a method for bonding the edges of pieces of stained glass, comprising the steps of applying adhesive to the edges, coating the adhesive with solderable metallic particles while the adhesive is still tacky, and, after the adhesive has cured, soldering the edges together, thereby joining the pieces of glass into a substantially self-supporting structure. The adhesive is a high-temperature resistant adhesive, preferably of silicone base. The solderable metallic particles are a combination of granules and powder, preferably copper. The method is quick, inexpensive and provides much larger self-supporting stained glass structures than is possible with the known methods described above.
With respect to cost, a comparison of the methods involving lead came, copper foil and this invention, revealed that for a given stained glass joint, this invention is more than one thousand times less expensive than the lead came method and approximately three times less expensive than the copper foil method.
With respect to labor, for preparing a given length glass joint, this invention is approximately seven times faster than the lead came method and four times faster than the copper foil method, not including the curing time of the adhesive. This is a reasonable assumption, inasmuch as by the time the last piece of glass in a structure has been treated, the adhesive on the first treated pieces of glsss has cured and they are available for soldering.
With respect to rigidity and self-supportability, a stained glass window made by the copper foil or lead came method must be provided with additional structural support if the dimensions exceed approximately 30".times.30". With this invention, no additional structural support is necessary until a size of approximately 40".times.40" is exceeded. This is an increase in unsupported area of approximately 77%. Further, even for larger structures, stained glass structures made according to this invention require less support.
With respect to ease of repairs, a stained glass structure built according to this invention can be desoldered and resoldered. This makes the replacement of a broken piece of glass a relatively simpler matter.
Finally, a stained glass structure built according to this invention is inherently weatherproof, without the need for any additional putty or caulking. The method taught in this invention is so effective, that a stained glass window may be soldered directly into a wood window frame. As with the seams between the pieces of stained glass, this seam also requires no additional caulking to be weatherproof.